Residents’ future residential preference and its affecting factors in the rapid urbanization zone of rural China from a family life cycle perspective

Understanding farmers’ future residential preferences and the factors affecting these choices is crucial for tackling the issues related to hollow village management and rural planning. Despite limited research on the role of the family life cycle, this study explores how the family life cycle, characteristics of the household head, livelihood strategies, and resource availability shape farmers’ future residential preferences. Data were collected from 777 households in China’s main grain-producing area. The findings reveal that 52.90% of households prefer to stay in their current rural residences. Other favored options are elderly care facilities (13.90%), living with children in the village (12.36%), and ancestral homes (11.68%). The family life cycle significantly affects these preferences (p < 0.01), with changes in family structure and age leading to different living choices. Specifically, households in the initial (71.29%), burden (70.32%), and stable stages (40.14%) prefer their current rural residences, while those in the maintenance and empty-nest stages opt for living with their children’s residences (22.22% and 16.96%, respectively) or in elderly care facilities (30.00% and 33.93%). Meanwhile, age, health, income, livelihood strategies, and land ownership also markedly influence the choice of residence. Recommendations include educational programs for elderly rural residents, improving older individuals’ adaptability to rural changes, creating more rural employment opportunities, and enhancing medical and infrastructural services for the sustainable rural development.


Study area and sampled villages
As a prominent agricultural province and a key grain-producing region in China, Henan province has consistently held a leading position in terms of its planting area and yield for major grain crops like wheat.With a permanent population of 98.72 million as year of 2023 and notable population density 28 , Henan province exhibits distinctive regional characteristics and holds significant value on a national scale 29 .Furthermore, as China's urbanization process accelerates, the number of floating populations in Henan province continues to grow, serving as a representative example that sheds light on rural social changes, the evolution of urban-rural relations, and the assessment of policy implementation effects in China.As the population density and number of floating populations increase in Henan province, substantial social and economic changes have occurred within rural areas.Notably, the prevalence of hollow villages and the rise in idle homesteads have emerged as prominent issues 30 .These not only pose significant challenges in the process of rural modernization in China but also serve as typical research cases for comprehending nationwide rural social and economic transformations.
Huaxian, located in the northern part of Henan province (Fig. 1), boasting a predominantly flat terrain with an elevation of 60 m.The region experiences a humid climate, characterized by an annual precipitation range of 500-700 mm, while annual evaporation rates fluctuate between 1000 and 2000 mm.Covering a total area of 1814 km 2 , which includes 1340 km 2 of arable land, Huaxian serves as the primary grain production zone within Henan province, focusing on the cultivation of wheat and corn as the main crops.The total population of Huaxian stands at 1,156,400, with 710,900 individuals residing in rural areas.The average annual household income in the region amounts to 11,087.81USD, primarily derived from agriculture, animal husbandry, and labor export in rural areas.
For the purpose of this study, four villages were selected: Zhangzhuang, Qianliucun, Lihusi, and Beishizhuang.These villages were chosen based on their proximity to the county center and their sources of household income (Table 1).
Zhangzhuang is positioned as a suburban village, located 5.6 km away from the county center.It is situated within the urban-rural fringe of the town (Chengguan) and covers an area of 0.29 km 2 , including 0.18 km 2 of arable land.This village is home to a total of 123 households, with an average annual household income of 12,510.60USD.The primary sources of income in Zhangzhuang are the handicraft industry, small businesses, and labor export.
Qianliucun is classified as an outer suburb village and is situated 19.2 km away from the county center.It spans an area of 1.83 km 2 , with 1.58 km 2 dedicated to arable land.The village accommodates a total of 290 households, with an annual household income of 11,821.07USD.The primary sources of income in Qianliucun are agriculture and labor exports.
Lihusi is another outer suburb village, located 24.1 km away from the county center.The village covers an area of 0.16 km 2 , with 1.33 km 2 allocated for arable land.Lihusi comprises 257 households, with an annual household income of 10,912.72USD.The primary sources of income in Lihusi are agriculture and handicrafts.
Beishizhuang, which is also positioned as an outer suburb village, stands at a distance of 30.0 km from the county center.It covers an area of 0.70 km 2 , including 0.57 km 2 of arable land, and is home to 107 households.The average annual household income in Beishizhuang is 10,340.61USD (Table 4).

Data collection
We conducted a questionnaire from July to September 2022 through face-to-face interviews.Prior to the interviews, households were notified by village leaders.Participation in the survey was voluntary.As a token of appreciation, each respondent received towels valued at USD 2 upon completion of the survey.The interviews were   www.nature.com/scientificreports/conducted with the head of the household, as they hold the decision-making power within the family.In cases where the wife's preferred residence differed from that of the husband, the decision of the head of the household prevailed, as they typically have the highest decision-making authority regarding the choice of residence in the family.For adult children living with their parents, we investigated the head of the adult children's household.We collected a total of 777 valid questionnaires, with the breakdown as follows: Zhangzhuang (123), Qianliucun (290), Lihusi (257), and Beishizhuang (107).Additionally, we conducted telephone interviews for unoccupied dwellings and obtained 93 responses in total: Zhangzhuang (15), Qianliucun (30), Lihusi (27), and Beishizhuang (21) (Table 1).The survey was administered by one postgraduate student and two senior college students serving as interviewers.The survey collected information the following aspects: (1) Characteristics of the household head (age, educational status, and health), living arrangements (solitary, couples residing together, two generations cohabiting, three generations living together).( 2) Economic features of the households (annual household income, sources of income, level of economic growth, and land ownership).(3) Economic characteristics (annual income, sources of income, place of residence).( 4) Attributes of the houses (affiliated properties, area, and year of construction) and future choice of residence (Table 2).

Data analysis
Multiple unordered logistic regression models were used to analyse the dependent variable as an unordered multicategorical situation.The future residential sites for farm households include: father's old house, current house, children's house in the village, house in the city (children's house), and nursing home, which represent a multivariate unordered choice.In this study, we selected the multivariate unordered logistic model to analyze the factors influencing the residential space selection of farm households.
where P(y = j) denotes the probability of a farmer's choice of the willingness, X k denotes the kth independent variable affecting the future residential site selection, the independent variables are divided into three major categories: basic household characteristics, household economic characteristics and resource endowment, and β jk denotes a vector of regression coefficients for the independent variables.Taking J as the reference type, the ratio P y = j /P y = J of the probability of a farmer's other types of residential site selection to the probability of a J type of residence, P(y= j|x) P(y= J|x) is the event-occurrence ratio, abbreviated odds.This study aims to synthesize research findings from related fields both domestically and internationally.Foreign studies on farm households' residential site selection have identified the main influencing factors as the family's economic and social characteristics, housing construction, and the type of housing 31 .Domestically, research has shown that farmers' willingness to select a residential location primarily takes into account social networks 32 , income, and family characteristics 33 .Based on these factors, this paper selects three types of influencing factors: personal characteristics, family characteristics, and resource endowment, as independent variables.As the empty nest period represents the final stage of the family life cycle, it is used as the reference group for this variable.The dependent variable in this study is the type of future residential site selection for farmers (ancestral house, current rural house, children's house in the village, children's house in the city, elder care facility).Given that elder care facilities are emerging as a new trend in China's future old-age care, they are considered the reference group (Table 5).

Division of family life cycle
The family life cycle represents the comprehensive trajectory of a family, including stages of formation, growth, maturation, and eventual decline or extinction 34 .This life cycle involves changes in family composition and membership, including the establishment and dissolution of marital unions, the birth and departure of children, and the passing of family members 35 .In 1947, Glick proposed a six-stage classification method to categorize surveyed families into different life cycle stages 22 .However, his structural division only considers the core and stable forms of the family, assumes a family size of two, and overlooks other forms such as single-child families, unmarried individuals, divorced individuals, and remarried individuals, resulting in theoretical limitations.Therefore, when applying the family life cycle theory to study various regions, it is essential to consider China's national conditions and regional differences 36 .In rural China, the birth of a family is not marked by marriage but by the division of the family into separate households.This leads to a more complex family structure, with (1) Life cycle phasing of a family (Glick, 1947).www.nature.com/scientificreports/some elderly individuals living with their children 37 .As a result, the family life cycle theory acknowledges that families have different contents and tasks in different life courses but does not provide a defined set of stages.
Researchers can thus divide the stages of the family life cycle based on the specific research content and purpose, aligning them with the research theme.Taking into account the structure of rural households in China and local realities, and considering the focus of our study, the classification is based on the life cycle of households with adult children, and we classify families into five distinct life cycle stages: the initial stage, burden stage, stable stage, maintenance stage, and empty nest stage (Table 2).This classification is grounded in the consideration of whether teenagers have reached the age of 16 and whether elderly individuals have attained the age of 65, serving as the basis for categorizing the family life cycle.Given the context of rural China, where multiple generations often live together, we did not account for the core family structure of couples.Thus, in this investigation, we relied on the family life cycle division proposed by scholars Wang Wei and Wu Haitao, combined with our field research, we classified families into five distinct life cycle stages, namely, the initial stage, burden stage, stable stage, maintenance stage, and empty nest stage (Table 2).
(1)The initial stage of a family pertains to couples who have recently married.Within this stage, family members may not yet have children or may have children under the age of 16.Additionally, there are no individuals over the age of 65. (2) The burden stage includes couples with one or more young children, where the youngest child is under 16 years old, and the oldest member of the couple is over 65 years old.(3) The stabilization stage corresponds to a phase in which children gradually mature and enter adolescence.In this stage, the youngest child in the family is over 16 years old, and there are no elderly individuals over 65 years old.(4) The maintenance stage occurs when a child leaves home to embark on adult life.At this point, the youngest child in the family is over 16 years old, and there are elderly individuals over 65 years old.(5) The empty nest period refers to the establishment of an independent living arrangement after the children leave the family, following the separation of the parents, the division of family property, and when only the parents live alone (Table 2).

Ethical approval
This research study is performed per the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.It did not require ethical approval because the participants willingly shared their future residential preference.The data for this study were obtained through a voluntary survey involving adult participants.Throughout the course of this research, we adhered to relevant ethical guidelines, ensuring the respect of participants' rights and privacy.The design and implementation of the survey followed ethical principles, including the protection of participant privacy, assurance of data confidentiality, and respect for voluntary participation.We further confirm that this study posed no risks of physical, psychological, or social harm to participants, and all research procedures complied with international ethical research standards.We declare that all data collection and questionnaires survey of the manuscript is under supervised and approved by Academic and Review Board of Henan Polytechnic University.

Informed consent
The authoritative office gave written consent, and the authors got everyone's verbal informed consent.

Result Characteristics of sampled households
The mean age of household heads stands at 51.40 (± 13.51) years, while the average years of education received is 7.68 (± 3.55) years.The average annual household income is 11.08 (± 20.96) thousand USD (Table 3), and the average number of children per household is 2.15 (Table 5).On average, each family possesses 1.37 (± 0.92) houses, and approximately 32.56% of families own two or more houses.Among the four sampled villages, Beishizhuang boasts the highest average number of houses per household, with an average of 1.73 (± 2.05) houses per household, followed by Lihusi (1.44 ± 0.56), Zhangzhuang (1.38 ± 0.54), and Qianliucun (1.16 ± 0.45) (Table 3).Regarding the distribution of life cycle stages across the villages, the burden stage holds the largest proportion, spanning from 26.17 to 30.35%.It is succeeded by the initial stage, which ranges from 23.79 to Table 3. Characteristics of sampled household (mean ± SD).Note: Family life cycle stages: 1, initial stage; 2, burden stage; 3, stable stage; 4, maintenance stage; 5, empty nest stage.Different letters within a column indicate statistically differences at p < 0.05, Tukey's post-hoc tests: (a > b > c)."a", "b" and "c" represent different groups of means, and the alphabetical order reflects the ranking of the means from highest to lowest, "ab", "bc" and "ac" indicated that the difference between the corresponding groups did not reach a significant level (p ≥ 0.05).

Residents' preference for housing choices in the future
The primary preference for future housing selection among residents is residing in their current rural house, accounting for 52.90% of the selections.This is followed by a preference for elderly care facilities (13.90%), children's houses within the village (12.36%), and ancestral houses (11.68%).The option with the lowest ratio is residing in children's houses in the city (9.78%) (Fig. 3).
Residents' intentions regarding their future living place exhibit variations across different stages of the family life cycle.Individuals in the initial stage, burden stage, and stable stage of the family life cycle tend to favor their current rural house as their future abode, with proportions ranging from 40.14 to 71.29%.Conversely, for families in the maintenance stage and empty-nest stage, living in their children's village house become the preferred choices, with ratios ranging from 30.00 to 33.93%.Notably, the proportion of residents selecting elderly care facilities as their future housing settlement in the stable stage, maintenance stage, and empty-nest stage is higher, ranging from 16.96 to 22.22%, compared to the initial stage and burden stage, which range from 9.13 to 9.57% (Figs. 4 and 5).
Furthermore, the proximity of villages to the county center influences residents' intentions for future housing settlement.Housing choices differ among villages, with those closer to the county center showing a tendency for fewer residents to select living in their children's houses in the future and a greater inclination toward elderly care facilities as their future living place (Table 6).

Factors affecting residents' future residential preference
We conducted a logistic regression analysis to investigate the effect of family life cycle, individual characteristics, socioeconomic factors and resource endowment on the likelihood of future residential preference.A total of 11 variables were included in the model and elderly care facility set as a reference variable of the model (Tables 5,  6 and 7).
Compared with living in elderly care facility, families in the initial stage (odds ratio, OR = 83.34,p < 0.01), burden stage (OR = 44.40,p < 0.01) and stable stage (OR = 5.23, p < 0.05) are more willing to choose to live in the current rural house in the future.Families in the maintenance stage (i.e., supporting families) are more likely to choose to live in a current rural house (OR = 9.21, p < 0.01) and their children's houses in villages (OR = 17.80, p < 0.01) than live in elderly care facilities.
Elders are likely to choose to live in a current rural house (OR = 1.08, p < 0.01) and children's houses in villages (OR = 1.10, p < 0.01).Households with high annual incomes are reluctant to choose to live in their children's houses in cities (OR = 0.90, p < 0.05) in the future.By contrast, farmers who perceived low household income growth tend to live in their children's houses in villages (OR = 6.96, p < 0.05) in the future.Farmers with low health condition were less likely to choose to live in their children's house in the villages (OR = 0.15, p < 0.05) and cities (OR = 0.19, p < 0.05) in the future compare to elderly care facilities.
Families living alone and two-generation families, compared to those who live in elderly care facilities, choose to continue living in their current rural houses (OR = 6.23 and 5.60, p < 0.01) and children's houses in villages (OR = 1.02, p < 0.01 and OR = 1.48, p < 0.05).By contrast, two-generation families are less likely to choose to live in ancestral houses (OR = 0.26, p < 0.05) or children's houses in cities (OR = 0.04, p < 0.01).Households close to county centres are unwilling choose to live in their current rural houses (OR = 0.39, p < 0.01) and prefer to live in their children's houses in cities (OR = 13.60,p < 0.01) as their future residential sites.Farmers with more houses are willing to live in their urban children's houses (OR = 2.11, p < 0.05) in the future.By contrast, farmers owning more farmland are less willing to stay in their ancestral houses (OR = 0.85, p < 0.01) (Table 6).

Discussion
Farmers' attitudes regarding their future residential preference play a crucial role in rural planning and the effective management of hollow villages 38 .In China, residential locations hold particular significance for farmers due to their connection with land, traditional culture, and rural well-being 39 .Attitudes toward future residential preference among farmers are complex and divergent across different stages of the family life cycle, serving as significant barriers to the sustainable development of rural areas.In this study, we selected villages with similar family structures but varying geographical locations, income sources, and livelihoods, distinct from the main grain-producing zones of China.We found that the majority of households express a willingness to choose their current rural house as their future residence.This choice is significantly influenced by the characteristics of household heads, family income and livelihood, affiliated houses and lands, and the life-cycle stages of households.
The preference and choice of farmers' future residence can be influenced by the family life cycle.Based on our research findings, it is evident that the family life cycle plays a significant role in determining both the future ancestral house and the current house choices.Our research indicates that households in the burden stage are more likely to make these choices, and there is a clear correlation between the family life cycle and socioeconomic phenomena such as non-agricultural labor migration 40 , abandonment of rural homesteads, and family migration.This finding is in line with the research conducted by Xia et al. 41 .
Regardless of the stage in the family life cycle, our study finds that farmers are generally more inclined to choose to stay in existing homes than in elderly care facilities.Except for households in the maintenance stage and empty nest stage, who prefer living in their children's homes within the village, households in all five stages primarily choose to continue residing in their current rural houses in the future.The family life cycle reflects the diverse ages and compositions within a family, and how it evolves over time.In smaller households, middle-aged www.nature.com/scientificreports/individuals often experience the pressure of caring for elderly family members.Consequently, they tend to engage in livelihood activities outside their hometowns during the maintenance stage.As the family stages evolve, housing choices also change 29 .China has a rural population of approximately 500 million individuals 42,43 .Zhong 44 emphasised the importance of gradually reducing the disparities between urban and rural development and enhancing the living standards of the rural population.In urbanization, the sustainable development of rural areas must be prioritised.
Traditional village culture and customs have the potential to influence the future residential preferences of farming households 45 .Traditional rural areas are characterized by subsistence agricultural production, with one's hometown representing traditional Chinese agricultural civilization and serving as a significant psychological and behavioral characteristic among traditional farmers 46 .Chinese households adhere to traditional living patterns,     www.nature.com/scientificreports/leisure activities, social interactions, and housing styles.Multigenerational cohabitation is prevalent among the majority of households 47 .The strong emotional attachment of Chinese individuals to their homes and hometowns influences their decision to return to their hometowns in old age.At present, farmers' way of life has an impact on their future choices of residence 48 .Research by Dueppen highlights that in ancient West Africa, farm dwellings served various purposes, such as farming, cultivation, and habitation, with multigenerational cohabitation being the dominant settlement pattern of that era 49 .Long-term living arrangements, such as living alone or with two or three generations, significantly affect farmers' future housing choices 50 .Elderly individuals who live alone are inclined to either stay in their current rural house or relocate to their children's homes in rural areas.Their decision is primarily influenced by their familiarity with the surroundings and the absence of consistent company from their children over extended periods 51 .Therefore, an empirical examination of the future residential preferences of rural households in traditional Chinese rural areas, from the perspective of the family life cycle, can contribute to the enhancement of rural development and serve as a reference for future rural planning.The role of the household head in making final decisions regarding family matters, including housing choices and land management, is of crucial importance.Various factors related to the household head, such as age, health, and education, can have an impact on their future residential preferences.Our study indicates that older household heads often face difficulties in adapting to urban life and generally prefer remaining in their rural homes in the future.This finding is consistent with a report from New Zealand which suggests that older individuals tend to prefer familiar areas 52 .On the other hand, young people in developing countries tend to migrate frequently from rural to urban areas due to the need for urban employment to sustain their livelihoods 53 .Household heads in poor health are likely to rely on the companionship and care of their children, leading them to choose to live with their children in the future.This is supported by research conducted by Ranga 54 .In many developing countries, the aged agricultural workforce and the migration of young people away from agriculture are common trends 55 .
The financial situation and livelihood of a family are crucial factors that significantly influence the quality of family life and future residential preferences.Family income is also a determining factor in rural development 56,57 .Households with lower incomes are less likely to afford homes in urban areas and are generally markedly inclined to remain in rural settings.Conversely, households with higher incomes have the means and the desire for improved residential facilities and medical services, making them more likely to opt for elderly care facilities in the future.The livelihoods of the sampled households include various activities such as agriculture, labor, handicrafts, and small businesses, with agriculture often serving as the primary source of livelihood.Therefore, most households are disinclined to move to urban areas.This aligns with traditional rural settings in countries like India, where the primary sources of income are land and agriculture and higher income levels lead to better housing conditions 58 .Increased agricultural productivity, as demonstrated by Adetoro 59 , can raise income, enhance livelihoods, improve household consumption levels, and influence housing choices among households.
Affiliated properties and lands hold significant importance for a household's sustenance and play a pivotal role in determining whether households choose to remain in the village in the long term.Some households not only own homes within the village, but also invest in commercial properties in the county or city.These additional properties are often used for purposes such as marriages or providing educational opportunities for their children 60 .Research has shown that households with multiple properties are more likely to pursue urban residences in the future.Furthermore, land ownership has a significant impact on rural economic development 61 .In regions like Amhara, land ownership is considered a criterion for socioeconomic development, and possessing www.nature.com/scientificreports/more land gives households greater flexibility in terms of housing choices.Our research findings align with this perspective, indicating that farmers with larger land holdings are less inclined to choose ancestral houses as their future residences.A similar trend has been observed in Kenya 62 and Vietnam 63 , where traditional households heavily reliant on agriculture base their future housing decisions on the extent of their land ownership.Balezentis 64 has highlighted that the closer a village is to a city, the lower the participation of young individuals in agriculture.This emphasizes the importance of convenient transportation and diverse agricultural opportunities in attracting young migrant workers to return to their villages in old age.The housing environment plays a crucial role in the decision-making process of migrant workers looking to return 52 .Consequently, our study underscores the necessity of gradually improving the management of rural homesteads and implementing better land use planning.www.nature.com/scientificreports/Furthermore, our study raises new questions regarding the aging population in rural areas within the context of rapid urbanization.In China, the migration of a significant number of young rural laborers to urban areas has resulted in reduced agricultural productivity in villages.This, in turn, has led to an increase in the rural elderly population.The implications of this phenomenon extend not only to China but also to other countries with predominantly smallholder agricultural systems 65 .Afghanistan, for example, where over 54.5% of the population lives in poverty and agriculture is the primary livelihood in rural areas, relies heavily on arable land and cultivation for the survival of its farmers 66 .Kenya 62 and Vietnam 63 face a similar situation, with traditional households heavily dependent on agriculture.The extent of land ownership significantly influences their future housing choices.Therefore, the introduction of new models of agricultural production becomes crucial in order to incentivize young laborers to remain in rural areas.Simultaneously, improving rural infrastructure and enhancing household satisfaction are necessary measures to mitigate the phenomenon of village hollowing out 65,67 .
As farmers age and young individuals with higher levels of education show reluctance to engage in agricultural activities, there is a growing inclination among young people to live in urban areas in the future 68 .Our study also reveals that healthier household heads exhibit reduced dependence on their children, making them less likely to choose to live with their children in the future and instead opt for elderly care facilities.Therefore, focusing on the health of the elderly residing in rural areas and enhancing the provision of medical and healthcare services are of utmost importance.Though education itself may not directly determine future residential preferences, the low education levels among elderly individuals in rural areas are cause for concern.Efforts should be made to improve the education level of farmers in the future.This can be achieved through the establishment of farmerfocused schools, increased investments in rural educational resources, and the development of enterprises to provide additional income opportunities for rural residents.These strategies increase the likelihood that farmers will choose to stay in the countryside and minimize the abandonment of unused homesteads.

Conclusion
This study examines farmers' future residential preferences and the affecting factors from the family life cycle perspective in rural China.Increased income, access to education for children, healthcare availability, and transportation options are the primary drivers behind their decision to leave their villages.Meanwhile, rapid urbanization has resulted in a rise in empty nesters and unused properties in rural areas, exacerbating the issue of rural depopulation.Our findings indicate that the majority of households choose to stay in their current rural residences in the future, while an increasing number of younger individuals are relocating to urban centers, contributing to a decline in rural productivity.The age and health status of the household head, household income and sources of livelihood, property ownership, and current stage of residence are potential factors that influence their future living preferences.Based on these findings, interventions aimed at promoting the efficient utilization of unused rural properties should be contemplated: (1) Improving rural medical services and infrastructure is essential to address the healthcare needs of the elderly population in rural areas.(2) Establishing farmers' schools is crucial for enhancing the education levels of farmers, particularly elderly individuals, to help them adapt to rural development.(3) Enhancing employment opportunities and security for rural-urban migrants can attract laborers back to their villages, mitigating the issue of rural depopulation.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Location of the study area.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Life cycle stage distributions of families in different types of villages.

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Proportion of future residential preference.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Proportions of future residential preference for different types of households.

Figure 5 .
Figure 5. Chord diagram of future residential preference for different types of family.Notes: The flow from FLC to A represents the choice of residential location during different stages of the lifecycle, and the area represents the proportion of each choice.A1: Ancestral house, A2: Current rural house, A3: Children's house in the village, A4: Children's house in the city, A5: Elderly care facility.FLC1: Initial stage, FLC2: Burden stage, FLC3: Stable stage, FLC4: Support stage, FLC5: Empty nest stage.Distance from village to county center: d > c > b > a.

Table 1 .
Distribution of sampled villages and households.

Table 4 .
Family life cycle and vacant housing ratio.Note: Vacant house excludes housing that is occupied more than two months per year.

Table 5 .
Measures and description of future residential preference and its influencing factors.

Table 6 .
Influence of family life cycle on the willingness of residents to locate their dwellings.Note: The elderly care facility is the reference item of the model.Reference means that other variables in this category refer to this variable.OR: Odd Ratio.* Significant at p < 0.05.** Significant at p < 0.01.HHA, Household head Age; HEAL, Health; EDU, Education; HAI, Household annual income; DEG, Degree of household economic growth (latest 5 years); LP, Living pattern; NC, Number of children; VL, Village location; NH, Number of homesteads owned; AL, Acres of land owned.

Table 7 .
Likelihood ratio test.Note: Square statistics is the difference between the − 2 log-likelihood of the final model and the simplified model.The simplified model is formed by omitting an effect in the final model.The null hypothesis is that all the parameters of this effect are 0.